Getting To Know You
by BananaLollypop
Summary: In which the parents from upper-class Hell return, and upper-class Hell doesn't seem so bad... Part 20 in my 'What if... Enjolnine' series. R&R appreciated, like... lots.


**AN:** So, apparently I spoke too soon when I said about my amazing 'updating every 2-3 days' thing... sorry for the wait! This chapter just didn't want to let me write it. And when it DID let me write it, it wasn't long enough. So there's a little random-y bit on the end of this one which I hope you'll enjoy :)

Prompt: What if Éponine and Enjolras went to visit Enjolras' parents with the twins? (Also a bit of a PLOT TWIST... I know, it's all very exciting!) Enjoy!

* * *

The twins were almost two months old by the time they went to visit Enjolras' parents. It was mid-September, and the days were starting to get colder and there was an almost constant cold breeze sweeping over the country. Though the sun still appeared overhead, Éponine and Enjolras found themselves in coats, wrapping the twins up in several blankets as opposed to just one.

They were welcomed in by the maid, and led to the living room where they were told Enjolras' parents would meet them. Éponine sat on one of the sofas with Elyse in her arms, bouncing the baby up and down almost nervously.

"If you're not careful, Elyse will be vomiting her breakfast over my parents' floor," Enjolras noted dryly. Éponine froze immediately, rearranging her hold so that Elyse was held closer to her, "Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not _nervous_!" Éponine protested, "I'm just a little... anxious, that's all."

"They mean virtually the same thing, Athena," Enjolras said, edging closer to her. She leaned into his side, feeling calmer when she was closer to him, "Besides, it's the twins who are meeting my parents for the first time; they have more reason to be 'anxious' than you do."

"Yes but..." the doors at the end of the room opening and Enjolras' parents entered, quietly conversing, cutting her off.

"Enjolras," his mother greeted him with a smile, "...Éponine." Éponine was surprised when the welcome sounded neither bitter, nor forced; in fact, Enjolras' mother sounded almost... well, _welcoming_.

"And our beautiful grandchildren!" Enjolras' father was grinning madly. Enjolras smiled as his parents sat opposite him and Éponine, and got up to pass Evette to his father, who took her into his arms eagerly.

"Well, bonjour, ma belle-fille," he murmured.

"Her name is Evette," Éponine told him smiling. He returned her smile before turning back to the baby in his arms

"Bonjour, Evette," he said quietly, his eyes bright and happy.

"May I?" Enjolras' mother asked Éponine. The baby in Éponine's arm was sleeping soundly, and Éponine smiled at how beautiful Elyse was when she wasn't screaming before passing the baby to Enjolras' mother.

"What's her name?" Jaqueline asked, looking from the baby back to Éponine.

"Elyse," Enjolras told his mother, "Éponine's choice. I named Evette." Enjolras looked at the way his mother held the baby; it had been years since he had seen her so loving, so... natural. As he'd grown older, he'd always felt like his parents expected a lot from him, and that he'd disappoint them if he didn't achieve the best of what his parents wanted him to do.

Which, in itself, caused Enjolras to rebel against it. Had Enjolras ever been to see any kind of therapist in the months following the June rebellion, they would most probably deduct that Enjolras' need to overturn the monarchy was down to 'unresolved childhood issues with his parents'. Not that he'd ever even dream of going to see a therapist (Jehan's babbling about love in the world was more than enough philosophy for Enjolras to be putting up with).

Enjolras had studied law at university, just as his parents had wanted him to; the revolution was his personal hobby, something that they definitely couldn't take away from him. And the most important part: something would actually come out of it. Not like Jehan's finished poems, Feuilly's fans, Grantaire's empty wine bottles or Combeferre and Joly's diagnoses; something, a legacy he supposed, that would last for years, decades even, into the future.

Taking another look at how loving and peaceful his parents looked with their grandchildren in their arms, Enjolras moved on to the next point of business, "We also have some other news."

"We do?" Éponine asked, frowning at him confusedly.

"Yes, we do," he said, smiling slightly as he took he hand lovingly in his, "Éponine and I are engaged." His parents looked between the two, looks of shock etched across their faces.

"Well, erm..." his father stuttered, apparently lost for words, "Congratulations! That's, um.. this is..."

"It's fantastic," Enjolras' mother said, smiling at the two of them, and again, he smile was genuine. Éponine wasn't sure if she should be glad that Enjolras' mother had apparently warmed up to her, or worried that there was a rather prominent chance that that wasn't the case at all, and that Jaqueline was really just putting on an act that would unravel later on.

Éponine cursed herself for thinking too much; this was Enjolras' mother after all; she had approached her almost a year ago with such confidence and, if she may say so herself, charm. What had happen in those short months since their last meeting?

And then it dawned on her; for, in that time, Éponine had become a mother herself. Seemingly unrelated, but when Éponine thought about it, she was always a bit more paranoid, be it about the twins and their safety, or about any and all other aspects in life. She had just been generally jumpy.

And for that, she cursed herself again, because the person she had become wasn't someone she was particularly proud of; she had always been an independent, headstrong, confident girl, and these traits had only become more prominent as she got older. She wasn't quite ready for that to change yet.

And so, Éponine smiled back, "Thank you," she said, "Both of you," and then, in keeping with her recent thoughts, she posed the question she knew had to be asked to set her over-paranoid mind at rest, "But, if I may ask... what's changed?" the two of them looked blankly at her, "Well, what I met you last year, you seemed so... critical of me. 'Some things may have to change' were your exact words I believe... what's changed?"

Phillip and Jaqueline shared a look before answering, "A few things," Phillip started, "The fact that you are the mother of our grandchildren for a start."

"And the fact that you make Enjolras happy for another thing," Jaqueline said, smiling almost sadly, "After you'd left from your last visit-"

"Quite the exit, by the way," Phillip added wryly.

Jaqueline continued, ignoring her husband's interruption, "Phillip and I discussed your visit and what you'd told us. We thought of the worst case scenarios we could be in... and deduced that you really could be a much worse candidate for a daughter in law." Éponine frowned.

"I suppose I should say thank you," she said, "Although I'm not entirely sure that it was a compliment."

"It wasn't an insult," Jaqueline provided. Éponine smiled slightly.

"That's something I suppose." She said.

"So... when's the big day?" Phillip asked, smiling as Evette grabbed hold of his finger and gurgled happily.

"Ah, yes, you see..." Enjolras ran a hand through his hair awkwardly, "We haven't actually started planning the wedding yet..." Jaqueline sighed exasperatedly.

"Honestly, Enjolras, the day you plan anything that doesn't have anything to do with a rebellion will be the day the Lord himself comes down from Heaven."

"I'll have you know I'm very good at planning!" Enjolras said indignantly. His mother just raised her eyebrows, turning, once again, back to the baby in her arms.

"We're very happy for both of you," Phillip said smiling, "But I think this little on is hungry," he said amusedly as Evette started grizzling in his arms.

Éponine laughed, "Yes, now is about lunchtime," she said, smiling fondly as Phillip handed her the baby, "We should probably be getting back. I told Courf that we'd pick Gavroche up on the way home." Enjolras nodded, smiling as Evette's grizzling progressed into full-on screaming. Éponine sighed, hooking her little finger into Evette's mouth to attempt to keep her quiet.

"Goodbye, Maman," Enjolras said, hugging his mother goodbye before taking Elyse from her. She smiled.

"We'll see you soon," she told him, "Probably before the wedding. Goodness knows how long we'll have to wait for that..."

"Don't worry," Éponine said, rolling her eyes, "Cosette is nagging me every day to start planning. She'll probably have the entire thing sorted out by the time Enjolras and I get a chance to think about it." Éponine was shocked as Enjolras' mother also wrapped her in a hug.

"I should probably apologise for how I acted towards you last year, Éponine," she said, "And I truly am sorry. I'm glad that you're a part of our family, and that you make our son happy." Éponine nodded, smiling, but couldn't say anything in return as Elyse started crying in harmony with her sister.

"Don't be strangers," Phillip said as he showed them out, "We're only half an hour away. Perhaps we could look after the twins at some point, to give you two some space."

"I'm sure we'd love that," Enjolras said smiling, taking Éponine's free hand in his and leading the two of them towards his parents' carriage that he had 'borrowed' for the day (in all truthfulness, his parents hardly ever used it anyway, and he had been the only one using it since the age of twelve, so he had christened it 'his' carriage a long time ago).

* * *

"And how was your second meeting with Enjolras' dear parents?" Courfeyrac asked as he opened the door to let Éponine and Enjolras in when they came to collect Gavroche.

"Surprisingly uneventful," Enjolras shrugged, passing Elyse into his eagerly awaiting arms. The twins had quietened down in the carriage, realising that lunch would have to wait.

"What? 'Ponine didn't... spring any more surprises on them? Your mother didn't criticise her dress sense? Or her hairstyle? Or, god forbid... her _job_?!" Éponine rolled her eyes.

"No, no, and... no?" she frowned, "Enjolras told his parents that I'm, _technically_, working for him months ago. They haven't expressed any kind of disapproval before. Not that I've heard anyway..." she looked suspiciously at Enjolras before continuing, "I actually got an apology for how she acted towards me last year." Courfeyrac's mouth dropped open, his eyes wide.

"I hope you realise how lucky you are, 'Ponine!" he exclaimed, "People have gone without apologies when she's done far worse than insult their upbringing!"

"I'm not sure whether to hit you for insulting my mother," Enjolras pondered, "Or applaud you because everything you're saying is completely true..." Courf rolled his eyes.

"But, really, 'Ponine, count yourself lucky," he said sincerely, "It's not often that she says sorry, and when she does it's more of a... 'apologise or I'll take you to court' matter." Éponine smirked.

"Is it _that _hard to believe that she actually likes me?" she questioned.

"Yes." Enjolras and Courfeyrac answered simultaneously. Éponine just poked her tongue out at the two of them, passing Evette to Enjolras as she went in search of Gavroche.

* * *

Later that night, having already put the twins to bed, Éponine was tucking Gavroche in and saying goodnight to him.

"'Ponine?" Gavroche said questioningly, "If you had to choose between me, and Elyse and Evette, who would you pick?"

Éponine frowned, "I wouldn't be able to choose, Gavroche," she said simply, shrugging.

"But if you _had_ to?" he demanded.

"I would stamp my foot, glare at the person asking me to choose, cross my arms angrily and go all 'Angry 'Ponine' on them," Éponine said, fixing Gavroche with a serious look, "And I would tell them off for asking such a silly question and _then_..." she smirked evilly, "Tickle them until they squealed!" she put this into practice, poking Gavroche in a particularly ticklish spot on his side.

Gavroche laughed, wrapping his arms around his older sister, "Love you, 'Ponine."

"I love you too, 'Vroche," she said, hugging him back. She kissed his head, "Now, sleep. And if the twins start crying in the night, try to ignore them."

"As if," Gavroche scoffed, rolling over and snuggling in the blankets, "I'll get up and Enjolras can tell us another revolution story like he did last time." Éponine rolled her eyes.

"Goodnight, Gavroche," she said, blowing out the candle on his bedside table and closing the door on her way out.

* * *

**N'aww :') I do love writing sibling love! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I apologise for the shortness of it. I've got about 4 more chapters already planned (possibly 4... more like 2) and after that I'M STUMPED FOR IDEAS D: So, this is me BEGGING for prompts, because I don't want to go agggeess without updating again! **

**So yah, chuck me a prompt if you have one, review if you have any opinion on this chapter at all (I love them all. Really and truly.) sorry for typos (I don't proof-read. Ever. It's SO tedious!) and thanks you for reading! ^=^**


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